William l



(No Model.)

W. L. HUNT. Net for Fire Escape Purposes.

No. 23 ,226." Patented Jan. 4,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()LFFICE... 1.

WILLIAM L. HUNT, OF PORT HOPE, CANADA.

NET FOR FIRE-ESCAPE PURPOSES.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,226, dated January 4, 1881.

Application filed August 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HUNT, of Port Hope, in the county of Durham and Dominion of Canada, have invented an Improvement in Safety-Nets forGymnastic and Fire-Escape Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to nets designed to arrest the fall of a gymnast or person thrown a great distance or falling from considerable height; and it-consists in furnishing the usual netting on the sides or corners with elastic rubber springs, whereby the strain is not put wholly upon the fiber, as heretofore, but is taken up by the rubber springs, as hereinafter set forth, and in securing the netting in position by ropes attached to the outer ends of such springs or to a bar secured to their ends, all of which construction is fully set forth in the following specification, shown in the accompanying drawings, and referred to in the appended claims.

Heretofore it has been customary to attach cords or ropes to the sides, and, after drawing all the ropes on one side to one center, they are secured and attached to a single guy or tightening rope, a certain amount of slack being always left in the netting to prevent rupture. From this construction it is evident that there is no give or springing action in the net when a person falls into it, except that obtained from the springing effect of the fiber and that due the net by virtue ofits openstrand construction; but this is not sufficient to break or arrest a fall easily when a performer is projected from apparatus set forth in another application of mine, or when a person falls from a great height. Consequently the strands give way by over tension and the net breaks, with injury to the person falling into it.

The object of my invention is to construct a net which shall be capable of receiving a performer thrown a great distance or from a great height with perfect safety and comparative comfort to such person when slack, and when very tight to form a spring-platform for jumping great heights or turningsomersaults.

Myobject is, further, to use the net either for gymnastic purposes or as a fire-escape, the

principle involved being precisely the same, or when used by a circus or other show company it can be used at night as a bed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved spring-netting. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified form of same. r

A is the netting, which may be of any desired shape or construction. To two sides of same are attached springs of rubber, B. These rubber springs B are secured to a bar, rope, or wire D on the outer ends and to the netting on the inner ends by books or clasps C. To the bar, rope, or wire D are secured one or more ropes, E, the ends of which are brought together and secured to the guy-ropes F, which are drawn taut by passing them over upright standards G, or other equivalent means. To the other sides of the netting are secured ropes H, which, as in the case just referred to, are brought together and secured to guys or ropes I.

By pulling on the ropes F I the netting A is stretched taut, and when secured in this condition it is ready for use. As the person falls into it the rubber springs D give, owing to their elasticity, and the netting receives and arrests the pressure gradually and without the slightest injury to person falling into it or the not itself.

If desired, the rubber springs may extend all-around the four sides of the netting, or they may be located at thecorners, as shown in Fig. 2. In this latter case the springs are preferably secured between two bars, one of which is attached to the netting and the other to the guy-rope, as before described.

If desired, the bars D may be dispensed with.

Instead of drawing the net out tight, it may be suspended. When tight it is designed to spring the performer into the air, and when slack to catch him easily.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A netting for gymnastic and fire-escape purposes consisting of a net, A, rubber springs B, attached by hooks to its sides or corners, bars D, attached to the springs, ropes E, radiating from one or more pointsand attached to the bars .D, and ropes F,'attached to the radiating points, so as to put the net under any desired tension, all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A netting for gymnastic and fire-escape purposes consistingof a net, A, rubber springs B, attached to the net at the sides or corners by hooks or their equivalent, and ten sionropes E F H I, to put the net under any desired tension, all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a netting for gymnastic or fire-escape purposes, the combination of not A, springs B, hooks 0, bars D, ropes E F, standard G, and ropes H I, all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention 1 hereunto 15 set my hand.

WM. L. HUNT. Witnesses:

G. F. PARISH, J. H. FOXWORTHY. 

